Arrival
by Ninaeva
Summary: Miranda 'bullies' her way on Arrival mission with Shepard... well, its not really bullying, but thats how Shep sees it xD fem!Shep/Miri
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_ This is kinda sequel to my Suicide mission fic, though you dont have to read it, before reading this._

_It concentrates on Arrival DLC... I wasnt really satisfied i couldnt bring anyone with me, so this is my way of fixing it ^^_

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><p>Admiral Hackett just finished debriefing me, when I heard the doors open behind me. My first reflex was to take out my gun from holster, as I knew nobody ever entered my cabin without ringing first. I resisted that urge, as I didn't want to appear on edge, seeing as how there would be alarms all over ship if there were indeed intruders onboard.<p>

As I turned around, I saw Miranda with a determined look on her face, coming towards me.

"What...?" I tried to ask her what was she doing here, when she cut me off.

"I will not let you go alone on a mission in battarian space." She said, stopping right in front of me, her arms crossed bellow her breasts.

I frowned at her "How do you...? You know what? Never mind, I don't think I want to know." I turned my back to her and went to get my armor. "But I have a mission I need to prepare for, so if you would mind?"

I glanced at her, and I saw that she was still watching me, arms folded, and no-nonsense look on her face. Finally, after a few moments, she spoke "I'm coming with you."

I turned sharply to face her "What? No way! You have obviously heard Admiral when he said this needed to be done QUIETLY. I cant take anyone with me, because the battarians will kill their hostage if they even suspect that we are coming!"

She smirked at me, the look in her eyes telling me I'm in trouble, as she closed in on me "Are you saying that I cannot be as stealthy as you can?" I started backing down, trying to keep some distance between us, as she continued her advance, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Or are you saying that I am not perfect enough for you? To be on your top-secret, elite team?" As my back hit the wall, she put a hand on my chest, pinning me there. She leaned in, to whisper in my ear "Or maybe you don't trust me? After everything we've been trough?"

Images from the engine room flooded my mind, as my heart started beating faster. I had to resist the urge to throw her on my bed and ravage her body in lust.

"I, uh..." Focus Shepard, damn it! Cant think. Damn this woman. She really knows how to press my buttons.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I felt her lean back a little. She brought her knee to my thigh, caressing it up and down.

Shit. I shivered before I finally opened my eyes.

She was looking at me, a triumphant smile on her face, like she already knew my answer. "All right, you can come." I let out throatily.

She moved away from me, clasping her hands "Excellent! See you in shuttle in ten minutes!" With that she turned around and, swaying her hips deliberately, exited my room.

I let out a sigh, as I slumped down to the floor, my head between my hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Well, here is the second chapter :0 The reason its out so quickly is that I already had most of it written, before I decided that this story wont be a one-shot :) So I just needed to finish it up, before releasing it :)_

_There will be one more chapter to conclude the events of ME2._

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><p>I collapsed on the floor, as the vision overwhelmed me. Miranda was at my side instantly. That's why neither she nor I have noticed that Kenson pointed the gun at my head. "I cannot let you stop the Arrival, Commander." The room was suddenly filled with guards.<p>

Damn. Reapers got to her. I looked at Miranda and gave her a very small nod. She shot up, towards the good doctor, trying to disarm her, breaking her wrist in process.

Kenson screamed for the guards to attack us, while she limped out, as both Miranda and I dove for cover.

"There is too many of them!" Miranda screamed, as she slammed few guards with her biotic powers. She is right. As soon as we take out one, two more fill in.

"Pyro on the left!" I yelled when I saw one guard with a flame thrower approaching Miranda. She took him out with Warp.

"Two more to go!" As soon as she said that, a YMIR Mech strolled in. Its rocket launcher was pointed at the couch Miranda was hiding behind. She was under heavy fire from the remaining guards, so she didn't see, when the mech launched the rocket.

Shit.

I jumped out of my cover, landing on top of her, just as the rocket hit the couch. My shields were gone instantly and my armor took most of the damage.

But not all.

I struggled to stay conscious, as the pain wrecked my body. My ears were ringing from the explosion, and everything was blurry. Miranda was shouting something, casting quick glances towards me, as she was trying to keep enemies at bay.

Then everything went black.

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><p>I heard some voices. Someone said my name. Miranda? What happened?<p>

It all came crashing down on me. My eyes shot open, though my vision was still a little blurry. I shook my head to clear it a little, and then I looked around, assessing the situation.

There were two armed guards, a scientist, and "... Miri..." My eyes widened a little, when I saw her unconscious form on the table besides me.

But first thing's first, I have to take care of the guards. They were just starting to turn around, to see why the scientist was fleeing the room, when I jumped on the first one, knocking him unconscious. The other raised his riffle, but before he had a chance to shoot, I disarmed him, by grabbing the end of the riffle, twisting it towards him with all my strength, until he had to let go. Then I used the butt of the riffle to hit him on the head, knocking him out too.

There was a humming sound as the barrier went up, sealing me and Miranda in. The scientist was calling for backup. I ignored her as I went to see Miranda.

I checked her pulse and breathing. She stirred from my touch, and I let out sigh of relief, as I helped her up in the sitting position.

"You OK?" I asked, unable to keep the concern from my voice. She smiled faintly as she nodded.

"Good. We need to get out of here." I immediately fell into my commanding mode. "Try to find something we can use. I will see what I can do from that console over there."

She proceeded to search the guards, as I activated the console. The scientist was screaming at us "No! Get away from there! Don't touch anything!"

I just smirked at her, as I activated one of the LOKI mechs. "Surrender now, and I won't hurt you." I said, making mech to point a gun at her. She ignored my proposition as she started raising her own gun at my mech. I had no choice but to kill her. Why won't they listen? I hate killing civilians.

When I destroyed the barrier power source with the mech, I heard Miranda calling me.

"Take a look at this." She said, pointing at the countdown clock.

Damn it. We were out for two days. We have less than two hours to destroy the Alpha Relay and get out of here.

I bypassed a door, and Miranda took out two guards, one with biotics and the other with her gun, simultaneously. We heard the other guard calling them over the radio, and Kenson telling him that they are probably already dead. "To all personnel, get in there, and stop them from getting in the project control room.

Miranda turned towards me "Well, that's not very nice."

I grinned at her "Let us invite ourselves in, then."

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><p>Miranda was panting lightly from exertion as she slammed the last guard. She was using her biotic a little to much for my liking, but we really didn't have much choice, we were getting low on ammo.<p>

I approached the console, and VI greeted me "Welcome to Project Control."

"I want to activate the Project." Miranda stood besides me, as the VI predicted the casualties "Warning. Activating the Project would result in estimating 304 942 casualties. Do you wish to continue?"

I looked at Miranda, who gave a slight nod, her expression unreadable. Well, the needs of the many, always come before the needs of the few.

I punched the button and we felt engines powering up, pushing the asteroid towards the Alpha Relay. The VI started giving warnings about the collision, urging the crew to evacuate.

"We need to at least warn the battarians." Miranda said. I nodded, patching up my comm. to the colonies. "Alert! All colonies living in the Bahak system..." There was a buzzing sound, as the communications got interrupted, and Kenson appeared on the screen before me.

"Shepard, no! Do you have any idea what you have done? You leave me no choice! If I cant stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed!"

Miranda ignored her as she asked the VI about her location. "Doctor Kenson is heading for the Reactor Core Module."

"Core meltdown will do the trick. Because of you Shepard, everyone on this rock will die!"

"Not if we get to you first." I said as the transmission ended, and two more guards got into the room. I fried them both with my flamethrower, and we proceeded to the door.

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><p>As I pushed the second cooling rod into its place, the VI announced that the core meltdown has been averted. I heard Miranda let out the sigh of relief.<p>

"Lets go." I said as I headed towards the elevator.

Kenson was there, at the reactor console. She either didn't hear us, or she just ignored us. "Step away from the reactor." I said in my most menacing voice, as both, Miranda and I, trained our guns on the Doctor.

It would be an understatement to say that Kenson was pissed "You've ruined EVERYTHING!"

I ignored her rambling about how she wouldn't get to see the Reapers, as all my attention was on the detonator in her hand. I glanced at Miranda and saw worry in her eyes.

I shot doctor in the shoulder, causing her to fall and Miranda started towards her to get the detonator before she released it. But there was no time.

In her last act of defiance, Kenson released the detonator. The resulting explosion threw Miranda backwards. I managed to get in her path, but the force of impact, pushed us both into the wall. She was already knocked out, when the blast depleted her shields, and the blackness consumed me when I hit the wall with my head.

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><p>As I regained consciousness, I could hear the VI warning us about the imminent collision. Miranda was still unconscious in my arms. She groaned when I started lifting her.<p>

"Shepard? What...?" She started to ask, but I interrupted her "Are you alright? Can you walk?" She nodded so I let her down.

"We need to call the Normandy to get us of this rock." She said as she went to the console.

I glanced at the clock "We need to hurry, only 30 minutes left."

"Joker, this is Ground team, we need a pick-up." She called out, but the VI interrupted her, saying that the communication system was damaged.

"Damn it! What now? I asked, fighting my panic down.

She looked at the schematics "We need to get to that Comm. Tower on the surface, its our only chance."

"Right. lets go." We raced through the station, stopping only at the airlock, so that Miranda can put on her breather mask. There was enough gravity and atmosphere that we didn't need full space suits, and that we could walk relatively normal on the platform. When the mask was in place, she nodded and I opened the door.

The sight that greeted us was breathtaking. I always loved the space, that's why I joined the Alliance. And I have seen many beautiful things, such as nebulas, Blue Giants, even Supernova once.

There was Alpha Relay in the background. Still far away, but coming closer with every second. I must say, the Relays are one of the most beautiful artificially made objects I have ever seen.

Another thing that increased the impression of being so close to the relay, while on the surface of the asteroid is that there was no sound. I could only hear my heart beating, and Miranda's breath through the comm. link.

But there was no time for sightseeing. Some of the guards were left behind. And they were pissed.

"We need to take care of them, and fast." I said as both of us took cover. The guards were coming closer. I got up and used my shockwave, that I learned from Jack, on the closest. Two guards got sucked in the vacuum of space as they were hit.

I looked at Miranda to see her shudder at the fate of those guards. She quickly pulled herself together as she got up and shot another guard straight between the eyes.

I looked out of the cover to asses the situation "There is five more, as far as I can see."

She smirked at me, before slamming two more guards, who then bounced of the platform, getting sucked in the space, like the first two. "Now there is only three."

"Correction, four. Move!" I yelled as I jumped out of the cover, going for the other one. Miranda did the same thing, only on the other side. The crates we were hiding moments before exploded as the rocket from YMIR mech hit them.

"Use your Overload on it!" I yelled, but Miranda was one step ahead of me, as she fried the mech's shields. My Incendiary Ammo then quickly finished the job, but not before the mech launched another rocked at me.

It slammed right into me, destroying my shields and making a big hole in my armor. Miranda screamed something as she used her biotics to keep me from following those poor guards that were sucked out in the vacuum.

She lowered me, not very gently as she ran towards me. I was fighting to stay conscious, as she applied medi-gel on my abdomen.

After a few moments I felt pain lessening, so I waved her off "Go, we need to get the rest of the guards."

She looked me, a concern in her eyes, as I got into the sitting position. "Don't worry about me, I will be fine." I said, unable to keep annoyance from my voice. I hate it when people are trying to take care of me. I take care of other people, that's why I'm here.

But I wasn't entirely unsatisfied with her concern. Maybe... Just maybe, there is a chance for more than friendship between us.

I mean, yeah, she could only be looking out for a friend. I know I would rush to help Tali, Mordin, Grunt, Morinth even, if one of them was shot by a rocket.

But something about the look in her eyes, the way her hand lingered on my bare stomach a moment longer than necessary, while applying medi-gel...

Stop it Shepard! Concentrate on getting her to safety. Only three more guards between you and the Normandy.

The guards were bunched up together, not very smart decision. I sent another shockwave which reached them just as Miranda used her slam on them. They were swept of the platform in the blink of an eye.

But there was no time to waste. The Alpha Relay was now dangerously close, so we ran towards the Communication Tower. I contacted the Normandy, while Miranda kept an eye out, just in case we missed someone or something.

"Shepard to Normandy. Joker, do you read me?" But before we could get any answer, there was a holographic projection of an Reaper.

Miranda stared in shock "Is that...?"

"Harbinger." I stated, keeping my voice ice cold.

"Shepard. You have become an annoyance. You fight against the inevitability." I approached him, Miranda by my side, as we looked at the Harbinger defiantly.

"It may seem a victor to you. A star system sacrificed." I clenched my fists at this, but decided to remain silent, for now.

"But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us."

It was Miranda who answered him. "Maybe you are right. Maybe we cant win this. But we will fight you regardless."

"Just like I did Sovereign. Just like we are fighting you now." I decided to speak up.

"That's what humans do!" We said in unison, as we locked our hands together, not taking our eyes from the Reaper leader.

"Know this before you die in vain; Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the Arrival!" Harbinger said before vanishing.

I looked at Miranda, then at our intervened hands, but before I could say anything, Normandy appeared.

"Commander Shepard. Normandy inbound for pick up." Said a voice from my comm.

"Roger that." With that, Miranda and I turned and ran as fast as we could towards the edge of the platform. Our hands still locked together, we jumped over the edge and inside the airlock. The door closed a moment later, and we ran towards the cockpit.

As soon as we got there, I yelled at the pilot "Get us out of here, Joker!" He ignored me, punching in the coordinates, and a few seconds later, we jumped to the mass-free corridor of the relay.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **Finally finished 3rd and the last chapter of this short story! Damn, this one made my life really difficult, along with some writers block._

_Well, anyway, I hope you like it :) There will probably be more one-shots about this particular pair ^^_

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><p>I just finished putting on my shirt, after Doc examined new battle scar on my stomach, when the Med Bay door opened, admitting Admiral Hackett. He just stood there, not looking at me or Miranda, but at the fast approaching Doctor Chakwas. The two stood at the door, talking. They were too quiet for me to hear what they were saying, but the Doc was probably just reporting the condition of her two patients.<p>

Finally, after few minutes, Chakwas exited the Med Bay, leaving us with the Admiral.

He approached me, with a small smile. "Heh, looks like you recovered."

"Admiral Hackett." I said cautiously, glancing at the ex-Cerberus operative. She looked just like when we met, few months ago; cold, calculated, devoid of any emotion. A real Ice Queen. He followed my glance. His eyes met Miranda's unwavering gaze, and after a few tense moments, he gave her a curt nod.

I haven't realized I was holding my breath, up until that moment.

Returning his gaze on me, he continued "Sounds like you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Both of us are."

"We weren't expecting to see you here." Miranda startled me a little when she spoke up.

"You were out there as a favor to me." He then turned towards the operative "That's why I decided to debrief you in person. "

"What the hell happened there Commander? The mass relay exploded and destroyed the entire battarian system! And I can remember specifically telling you to go ALONE, or not at all." Its an understatement to say that he was displeased about that. I stood up uneasily, and Miranda moved to stand beside me.

"We had no choice. I confirmed Dr Kenson's suspicions that the Reapers are coming and destroying the relay was the only way to delay them a little. Everything is in the file. As for going alone..." I glanced at Miranda, and I swear, there was an amusement in her eyes, even though the rest of her face was ice! "... I decided the mission had better chances if someone went with me." I simply said, giving him the datapad.

"And... Amanda?" He asked, taking the datapad.

I looked at Miranda again. How should I tell him? She gave me a slight nod, indicating it was better if he heard it from me.

"Doctor Kenson was already indoctrinated when we freed her from battarians." I looked at the Admiral, but his face was impassionate. "She sedated us for almost two days. When we finally broke free from her custody, there was barely an hour left until Reapers arrived, so I started engines of the asteroid. We tried to warn the colonies, but... time ran out."

The Admiral sighed "At least you tried. The battarians reported there were no survivors." His face grim, he continued. "I won't lie to you Shepard. The battarians will want blood and there is just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the battarians."

"So, what are you saying? Are you going to arrest us and give us to the battarians so they can exact their revenge?" Miranda asked, raising one slender eyebrow.

"You did what you did for a good reason, but there were more that three hundred thousand battarians in that system... All dead."

"They died to save trillions of lives. If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have!" Now I was starting to get angry. I managed to buy us few more months to prepare for the Reapers, and they want to sentence me for that, instead of gathering the army to fight off the invasion? I clenched my fists . Is this really the galaxy I'm trying to save?

"If it were up to me, Commander, I'd give you the damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

"So what do you suggest?" I know I sounded a little bitter, but damn... I just can't believe we are even having this conversation!

"Evidence against you is shoddy at best. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it... But I can and will make them fight for it."

"I will gladly stand trial..." I heard Miranda take a sharp breath, but she stayed silent... for now, at least. "Once this mission is done."

"Do whatever you have to do out here. But when the Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit."

"Yes, sir."

"You've done hell of a thing, Commander." With that, he turned, and left the Med Bay. I gave the sharp salute as the doors closed behind the Admiral.

"You know they don't care about anything, except their own comfort?" Miranda glared at me "They will make a scapegoat out of you, just so they can sit back and relax a little while longer. That is, until the Reapers arrive and destroy the humanity."

I stood my ground, enduring her glare as best as I could "So be it. I'm just one person, its not like you couldn't do the same thing without me."

"Wake up, Shepard! The Illusive Man wouldn't spend billions of credits on you, if he thought I could do it!" Miranda raised her hands in frustration.

"We both know he can be wrong, Lawson." Now it was my time to glare at the woman in front of me. "You both try to paint me as a perfect human specimen, but I'm not!" I approached her, but she refused to back down, so our faces were now only inches apart "If I were, I wouldn't have died two years ago. Kaidan wouldn't have died at Virmire!" I yelled at her.

Her eyes remained hard "You still don't get it, do you? Without you, this whole team would fall apart, just like after the first Normandy's crash. You are the glue keeping us together. And sure, I may be as good as you on the battlefield, but without you..." She lowered her head, as she whispered "... I don't know if I could keep fighting, much less keep the team together."

"They respect you." I said gently, lifting her head, with a finger under her chin. "Every one of them, even Jack. They know that, if something happens to me, you are galaxy's only chance to defeat the Reapers. You and me, we know about Reapers more than anyone…"

She put a finger on my lips, silencing me "That's not what I meant." With that, she closed the small gap between us, gently brushing her lips against my own.

My eyes widened with shock, and before I had a chance to return the kiss, Miranda broke off. Not looking at me, she turned around and left the Med Bay.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the door which closed behind her.

Is this for real? Did Miranda Lawson just… kiss me? I thought Engine Room… She said it was just reliving stress… But…

God Damn it, Miri.

I shook my head and ran after her. She probably went to her office, so I made my way there first.

Locked. Luckily, I'm the Captain of this ship "EDI, override the lock on Miss Lawson's door."

Moment after, the lock turned to green and the door opened, but the room was empty. "Lawson?" I called, but only silence greeted me. "Damn it Miranda, where are you?" I cursed under my breath.

"Operative Lawson is in the Port Observation deck, Commander." Huh, why didn't I remember to ask the ship sooner?

Never mind.

I went to the Port Observation deck, and as I stood in front of the doors, I took a deep breath to calm myself a little, before I went inside.

Miranda stood, staring out of the window, seemingly not noticing that I entered the room.

For a few moments, I just stood there, watching her.

God, she is so beautiful.

I walked up to her, stopping right behind her, unsure what to do. Should I hug her? Or not touch her at all? Or maybe... I don't know...

Miranda startled me a little when she broke the silence, not turning around "I'm sorry Shepard. For what I did in the Med Bay. It was unprofessional, wrong and..."

"... I totally want to do it again." I finished her sentence, smirking mischievously and not feeling the least bit confident like I sounded.

She whirled around, shock evident on her face, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

Taking my chances, I grabbed the back of her head with one hand, and her slim waist with the other, pulling her for another kiss. Her hands found their way around my neck instinctively.

It was fierce, rough and passionate and nothing like the kiss in the Med Bay. Our teeth clashed as our tongues battled for dominance. We broke it only when the need for air became too great.

Leaning our foreheads together, we gasped for air. I smiled as I spoke "So... "

"So..." She echoed me.

"Does this mean you want me to help you relive some more stress?" That made her chuckle.

I made a hurt expression when she playfully hit me on the shoulder "Well, if that's all you want from me... Than maybe you should talk to Garrus instead." She said turning her back on me.

Not wanting to let her get away, I slid my hands around her waist, pulling her close "Oh, we have already tested his reach and my flexibility. I wasn't impressed." After she jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow, I added "I meant, in the ring! He is awful in hand-to-hand combat, I kicked his ass, without breaking the sweat. And I didn't even use my biotics." I said, kissing her neck.

We stood there for a while, just watching the stars.

"Promise me one thing." She suddenly said.

"Anything."

"If you have to choose between me and saving the universe, please... Don't choose me."

Damn it! Me and my stupid mouth. Now I understand the rules about fraternization in the Alliance. There is no way in hell I could ever let her die. But... I cant doom the universe either, because that would mean she would die anyway, along with everyone else.

"I... "

"Please Shepard, promise me that, or I will go back to the Illusive Man and you will never see me again." She said turning towards me, breaking the hug and moving out of the arms reach.

Shit. How can I promise her something like that?

"I... I promise you, that I will do the right thing." And if I think that saving your life is the right thing, then fuck the universe!

"That's not what I asked of you." She obviously had the same thoughts.

"Well, that's all you get!" I almost shouted. Luckily, I was able to control my voice, to some degree.

"Shepard..." Her voice had a hint of a threat in it.

I closed my eyes "I'm sorry Lawson, but I just can't promise you that. You will just have to trust me." Like Kaidan did. We weren't lovers, but he was my best friend, and I still sent him to his death on Virmire. It was the right thing to do. It was.

I opened my eyes, to see her looking away from me. I extended my hand towards her "Do you trust me?"

"What?" She looked at me, confused.

"Do you TRUST me?" I emphasized the word _trust_.

She hesitantly put her hand in mine "I... I guess so."

I pulled her closer, taking her other hand in mine "Then trust me when I say, that I will do whatever is necessary, not to get in the situation where I will have to make that choice."

She smiled, as she leaned towards me, propping on her toes, so she could plant a gentle kiss on my lips "I trust you... Alex."

I smiled as I returned her kiss. This was the first time she has ever called me by my first name.


End file.
